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Baseball America's Top 10 Prospects lists are based on projections of
a player's long-term worth after discussions with scouting and player-development
personnel. All players who haven't exceeded the major league rookie standards
of 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched (without regard to service time) are
eligible. Ages are as of April 1, 2006.

Though the team fell short of its goal of a World Series title again
in 2005, the Cardinals also reached 100 wins and posted the best record
in the major leagues for the second year in a row. St. Louis led the
National League in ERA and finished third in scoring, showing once again
that the front office knows how to build a major league roster.

The Cardinals are built largely around players who came up through
other organizations, with such notable exceptions as Albert Pujols and
Matt Morris. Homegrown catcher Yadier Molina did seize the big league
job, and righthander Brad Thompson established himself as a reliable
set-up man in his rookie season. Otherwise, the big league team was
assembled through astute free-agent signings and savvy trades.

To bolster their minor league system, which Baseball America rated
the game’s worst entering 2005, the Cardinals have taken a hard
look at their scouting operation over the last two years. They have
made significant changes, both in the structure and responsibilities
of the scouting staff and in the use of sophisticated performance analysis
through statistics.

The new philosophy resulted in a heavy college approach in the 2004
draft, as St. Louis drafted just four high school players and signed
none. Club officials said they wanted players who could make quick contributions
at the higher levels of the system.

The team was also in the early stages of developing its system of statistical
analysis, which has become much more sophisticated and is now done almost
exclusively in-house, rather than by outside suppliers. St. Louis got
a golden opportunity to test its new approach with a draft windfall
in 2005, getting four extra picks for the loss of free agents Edgar
Renteria and Mike Matheny.

The Cardinals’ 2005 draft showed their willingness to look at
all types of players. There were sleepers who were picked based on their
college performance, such as outfielder Nick Stavinoha (seventh round).
But there were also college players whose performance has never seemed
to quite measure up to their tools, such as righthander Mark McCormick
(supplemental first).

There were toolsy high school players whose projection is based on
the judgments of scouts much more than their statistics, such as outfielder
Daryl Jones (third). St. Louis even spent a couple of early picks on
Tyler Herron (supplemental first) and Josh Wilson (second), a pair of
prep righthanders—considered the riskiest demographic in the draft.

The Cardinals have shown a willingness to blend all these approaches,
which could pay quick dividends for the farm system. The players mentioned
above and first-rounders Colby Rasmus and Tyler Greene immediately stand
out in an organization lacking headline talent beyond top prospect Anthony
Reyes.

Fortunately for St. Louis, the major league team has few immediate
holes that need to be plugged by minor leaguers. But as the Cardinals
move into a new Busch Stadium, they have the hope of introducing new
homegrown talent in the coming years as well.

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